“Don’t joke about things like that…” Hermione said irritably.
In a room with an enormous three-headed dog staring at them, that particular joke was far too terrifying.
“Hahaha…
Anyway, Fluffy’s a good dog.
You don’t have to be afraid of him.” Leo patted one of Fluffy’s enormous heads.
“See?” “Whine…” Fluffy obediently nuzzled against Leo’s hand.
“Fluffy?” Harry relaxed a little when he saw how docile the dog was around Leo.
“Is that what you named him?” “No.
Fluffy belongs to Hagrid,” Leo replied.
“Hagrid?” Hearing a familiar name calmed the other three considerably.
With Leo encouraging them, they finally worked up the courage to move closer.
“What are they even doing with something like this inside a school?” Ron asked curiously as he reached up to stroke Fluffy’s forehead.
“Yeah.
Why doesn’t Hagrid keep him in the Forbidden Forest?” Harry wondered.
“Are those two holes above your mouth only there for breathing?” Hermione snapped.
Now that she had caught her breath, her temper had returned as well.
“Didn’t either of you notice what he’s standing on?” Ron looked down and thought for a moment.
“Is that a trapdoor?
He’s obviously guarding something, but what could possibly need a three-headed dog protecting it?” “It must either be incredibly valuable, incredibly dangerous, or both.” Harry fell into thought.
‘Could it be the little package Hagrid took out of Vault Seven Hundred and Thirteen?’ “So, do you want to go down and have a look?” Leo asked as he pushed one of Fluffy’s paws aside.
“I don’t know…” Harry hesitated.
If whatever lay beneath the trapdoor was genuinely important, poking around where they did not belong could land them in serious trouble.
“Absolutely not.
We’re going back!” Hermione had apparently lost every shred of curiosity she might have possessed about the enormous dog or the secret beneath the trapdoor.
“All right.
See you.” Leo’s ears twitched.
He waved goodbye to the three of them and started toward the door leading in the direction of the Forbidden Forest.
Hermione immediately glared at him.
“Where are you going?” “I heard a horn.” Leo’s expression brightened.
“The call of the wild is stirring.
That old urge to wander is tearing at the chains of civilization, and the wilderness is calling me out of my winter sleep once again.” Before any of them could respond, Leo shot away and vanished from sight.
Harry stared after him.
“What was he even talking about?” “Who cares?
We need to leave.” Hermione glanced nervously back at Fluffy.
“I seriously doubt he’ll stay this friendly now that Leo’s gone!” “Right, right, let’s go!” Ron and Harry hurried after her.
They did not stop running until they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady on the seventh floor.
“Where on earth have you three been?” the Fat Lady demanded, taking in their disheveled robes, flushed faces, and the sweat pouring off them.
“Don’t ask,” Harry panted.
“Pig snout!” The portrait swung open, and the three of them stumbled into the Gryffindor common room before collapsing onto the sofas.
“We nearly got bitten to death—or worse, expelled.” Hermione glared at Harry and Ron.
“Don’t involve me in anything this stupid ever again.
Now, if neither of you objects, I’m going to bed.” “Go ahead.
We certainly aren’t stopping you,” Ron muttered.
“What was that supposed to mean, anyway?
She made it sound like we dragged her along.
Leo was the one who did that.” “Didn’t Leo seem a little strange just now?” Harry asked.
“When does Leo not seem strange?” Ron replied.
“No, I mean he looked like he noticed something.
That’s why he left in such a hurry.” “I think we can ask him tomorrow.” Ron yawned.
“Good night.” ..
Deep within the Forbidden Forest, the deep, drawn-out note of a horn rolled between the trees, announcing the beginning of battle.
“Die, you filthy monsters!” “Go to hell!” “Scum!
This is centaur territory!
You’ll all die here!” “Stupid creatures.
You dare stand in our way?” Leo arrived at the same part of the forest where he had fought the werewolf several nights earlier, only to find a full-scale battle already raging.
Several centaurs were fighting a group of black-robed wizards.
Arrows and curses streaked through the darkness while shouts, snarls, and spellfire filled the forest.
“So I really did hear fighting.” Leo immediately perked up.
“Interesting.
That werewolf came from this direction too.
Are these people searching for something here?” “Is that a Hogwarts brat?” One of the smaller black-robed wizards noticed Leo approaching.
He raised his wand without hesitation and fired a curse directly at him.
“Confringo!” The Blasting Curse tore through the air toward Leo’s face.
“Oh.
Well, that makes it pretty obvious which side I’m on.” Rather than dodge, Leo planted his feet and punched the oncoming curse head-on.
Boom!
The spell struck his fist and erupted in a burst of flame and concussive force, only to disperse completely against the blow.
“Not bad.” Leo shook out his hand.
“Made it a little numb.” The black-robed wizards froze.
“What the hell kind of wizard is this?” Several of them immediately turned their wands toward him.
“Imperio!” “Confringo!” “Avada Kedavra!” “Crucio!” Four curses flew at Leo almost simultaneously.
“Too slow.” Leo twisted aside from the streak of green light, drew his wand, and knocked the other three curses away in rapid succession.
By then, only a few steps separated him from the nearest wizard.
“Expelliarmus!” Before the thin wizard could even react, his wand was torn from his hand.
At almost the same instant, Leo seized his wrist and snapped it.
“Diffindo.” Before the man could scream, Leo swept one hand across his neck with brutal precision, killing him instantly.
“Lang—” The next wizard had barely started his incantation when Leo’s fist smashed into his mouth.
His jaw twisted under the impact, most of his teeth breaking loose as blood spilled from between his mangled lips.
“Flipendo!” Leo drove a kick into his chest and sent him flying several yards backward.
By the time the wizard hit the ground, his chest had caved inward and he was no longer breathing.
The sheer brutality of the sight stunned the remaining dark wizards.
Every one of them had blood on their hands.
Several centaurs had already died to their curses tonight, but killing someone from a distance with magic was entirely different from watching a person get torn apart in close combat.
Faced with Leo’s raw violence, several of them instinctively began considering retreat.
Leo noticed their hesitation and laughed openly.
“You lot call yourselves dark wizards?
If you’re scared, go home!” He looked around at them with undisguised contempt.
“Pathetic.” “Cruci—” A short, heavyset wizard suddenly raised his wand, but before his arm had fully come up, Leo’s twenty-inch wand had already punched straight into his chest.
“Now that’s Crucio.” Leo yanked the wand free, sending blood spraying across the ground.
“Hah.
Looks like I’m getting pretty good at spells.” That was enough.
Every remaining wizard immediately decided to run.
The anti-Apparition enchantments protecting Hogwarts Castle did not extend this far into the Forbidden Forest.
Leo managed to catch the nearest man, breaking both of his arms and smashing his mouth badly enough to prevent him from casting, but the others Disapparated before he could reach them.
“Tch.
At least I kept one alive.” Leo looked down at his captive, his excitement gradually giving way to curiosity.
“So what exactly were these people looking for?” “My goodness!
What happened here?” Hagrid’s alarmed voice came from somewhere nearby.